The sun had long dipped beneath the horizon when the Celestial Order's sleek, obsidian-black vehicle glided through Seoul's neon-streaked streets. Inside, the air was quiet, save for the low hum of the engine and the weight of thoughts still hanging heavy.
Roger Wilson leaned back, arms behind his head. "Kid's got something. Power like that doesn't just come from desperation. It felt… ancient. Raw."
Naiomi Sasaki, her fingers resting on the window, murmured, "He's a spark in a dry forest. One wrong wind, and the world burns."
Hestia Roseberg, flipping through images of the dragon's remains on her phone, added, "But also a signal. If he could kill *that*, then the balance we've kept all these years? It's shifting."
Roger grunted. "He's not ready. He's got that haunted look. Like the rest of us, before we broke."
They all went silent.
—
**Celestial Order's Korean Base — Private Command Floor**
A few stories above ground, inside a high-rise they currently operated from in Seoul, Martin Saunders stood in front of a massive digital war-table, watching red and blue lights swirl in holographic projections.
Christoff Erickson, seated and sipping espresso, broke the silence. "He refused our offer."
Martin's iron arms crossed. "Good. Would've been suspicious if he didn't."
A silver-haired woman leaned against the wall nearby—**Sienna Graves**, an S-rank scout who specialized in tower reconnaissance. "The kid's profile was scrubbed months ago. His presence was a ghost file until he popped that dragon."
Christoff nodded. "Exactly. We've combed through his past. The wyvern incident. The disappearance. His mother's death. There's something dormant in him… something we couldn't predict."
"Do we monitor or manipulate?" Martin asked.
Christoff raised an eyebrow. "Both. But with caution. If he's one of the 'Echoes'… we may not be ready."
—
**Silver Halo Guild — Philippines**
In Manila, inside a towering spire lined with angelic motifs and golden emblems, the Silver Halo Guild gathered in their war council chamber.
Maria del Rosario, Guild Master and one of the few radiant-type healers capable of combat resurrection, looked over news broadcasts displaying Rover's footage.
Beside her stood **Tricia Arce**, vice commander of Silver Halo. Her figure was clad in ceremonial battle robes, but her eyes were sharp as blades.
"Thoughts?" Maria asked, folding her arms.
Tricia's tone was cool. "He's a variable. But one that will either become a symbol of unity… or the spark of world war."
Behind them, S-rank support specialist **Joaquin Reyes** chuckled. "We should send him a fruit basket. Or a friendship letter. The Celestials already have a head start."
Maria smirked. "We're not here to play catch-up. We move differently. Quietly. Prepare a team. If he ever steps onto Philippine soil, I want a welcome waiting."
—
**Tempest Fang Guild — Japan**
Far to the north, in Kyoto, moonlight seeped through rice paper walls in Tempest Fang's silent compound. Within the underground training hall, **Ayame Kazehana**, Guild Leader and Japan's most feared assassin, danced through the shadows.
Her blades flashed—twin obsidian daggers known as *Kurohana*—as she sliced through training projections with unerring precision.
On the edge of the hall, her vice commander **Tsuyoshi Arai** watched with folded arms. "The boy who killed the Calamity Dragon. What do you make of it?"
Ayame sheathed her blades and answered without looking. "Power that sprouts without control tends to rot the tree."
Tsuyoshi tilted his head. "You think he's dangerous?"
"I think he's being watched. Molded. And when something is molded by too many hands, it tends to crack."
"Would you kill him?"
She finally turned, her eyes like drawn steel. "Only if he threatens the flow. Until then, we observe. Like we always do."
Tsuyoshi smirked. "And if he becomes the flood?"
"Then I'll become the blade that ends the storm."
—
**Meanwhile…**
In a quiet apartment in Seoul, Rover Cheon sat with Ayaka, Mina, Vex, and Professor Kuroda. He stared into his bowl of steaming noodles, the laughter around him a balm to his weary soul.
He didn't yet know that across oceans and skies, the world's greatest forces were beginning to move.
All because of him.
To be continued...